Empress
by RoamingXenos
Summary: Anna, a fearless optimist, is sent to arrest Elsa under the pretense that she killed the emperor. Trouble emerges, however, when she discovers that the corrupt Roman oligarchy only wants Elsa dead because she is the new Empress! Caught in a web of lies and deceit, the pair set off to restore Rome to justice amidst the struggle for power. Can they survive the scandal? Elsanna
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own frozen.**

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Fate had seemed to offer the soldiers a sweet respite from their solemn occupation, and the cool night air was filled with the pleasant banter of men trading stories and sharing drinks. Olaf, whose face was normally fixed with a merciless glare to compliment his unnatural silence, had been lost inside a crowd of his own men. The only clue that Elsa had to his survival was his booming voice followed by an eruption of laughter that pierced the night air, always disappearing just as quickly as it began.

With every moment, Elsa slid downwards just a little bit deeper into her bench, and sipped on her wine just a little bit longer. Relief caressed her failing posture as she crumpled like a rag-doll into her chair, and eventually gave in to the desire of the drink she held. She had finally made it, they were finally in Rome. For the last day and a half, she had been trapped on that claustrophobic boat that hadn't seen use for well over a decade. For the first time since she could remember, she was off of the island born from nightmares. The repugnant taste of the lingering sea still assaulted her senses, and solid ground still felt alien to her, but none of that mattered now. Nothing from the past week mattered to her anymore; the hard part was over. For the first time in too long, Elsa felt like she could breathe.

Olaf had tried to resist the celebration. Still sober, he didn't utter a word, but Elsa demanded that he celebrate their return to the capitol as she placed a drink in his hand.

"Olaf, I need you to have a night to yourself, you haven't had one since you took your god-forsaken position. Hey, don't look at me like that! I know that you're worried for literally no reason. Nobody even knows that we've arrived here, and nobody is going to know until tomorrow morning. Come on, I said not to look at me like that. What, do you think that I can't defend myself? I'm getting us both a glass of wine, and we're going to have a single night of relief after this week of fucking madness, okay? Okay."

Five minutes after their discussion and halfway into his drink, Olaf could have been mistaken for an armed bard. Two hours later, he couldn't have been mistaken for anything that closely resembled the ablest warrior in the room. Elsa laughed to herself quietly as she breathed in the night life, and wondered what the coming days would bring. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself, knowing that the week had finally ended. The emperor had died only days ago, the world was rife with chaos, and Elsa swirled her drink casually. Compared to how miserable things had been before she set foot on the mainland, she couldn't help but look to the future optimistically.

The door slammed open with enough force to rip every conversation from the air, and an electric tension filled the newfound void.

"Nobody. Fucking. Move!" A woman's voice roared as an endless supply of men clad in armor and weapons poured into the room, two by two from the small entrance, circling Elsa and her drunken men.

Elsa flinched at the hissing of blades being pulled from their sheaths, and saw that her protectors had struggled to their feet and prepared their weapons in response. Olaf leapt in front of Elsa, and prepared for the worst. The woman turned and pointed through Olaf, and directly into Elsa.

"For the murder of the emperor, you're under arrest!"

Elsa gripped the table in anticipation, feeling the warmth fade from her fingertips. Olaf looked back to her calm demeanor in his drunken state with a knowingly solemn look.

"Until the end," he muttered almost silently, before looking back at his wall of adversaries.

Elsa felt her blood run cold at the gentle whisper as chills ran down her spine. She knew what was about to happen, and she had seen what the ending looked like far too many times. Dread festered in her mind, and screamed the world to silence in it's wretched wake.

Adrenaline sobered her as she stared ruthlessly into her drink, demanding that it show her how to escape this situation. Determination found itself in the frozen tabletop she clutched like a lifeline, and she knew that she couldn't let her men fight. It didn't matter how tonight was played. If her men fought, they would be slaughtered like animals, and she would be captured. If she surrendered, she could at least save something. Elsa screamed past every feeling she could with all the strength she could harness, as she slammed a frozen fist into the table.

"Stop!" Her voice crashed like thunder into the room, and the table chipped under her fist. It didn't matter what became of her, she couldn't send her men to death! They were in no condition for swordplay, and Elsa could fight her way out if she desperately needed to.

"Nobody is going to die tonight. I'll go with you-"

"Elsa!" Olaf interjected, his eyes pleading her to stay under his protection.

"-but only if no harm is to come of my guards."

The red-headed woman smiled curiously at Elsa, and gave her a small nod. Without breaking eye contact with the drink in her hand, Elsa spoke only to the man defending her.

"Olaf, put your sword away," she whispered nearly inaudibly. "Tell the rest of the guards to do the same."

"But-"

"That wasn't a question."

There was a slight hesitation, but Olaf gripped his sword with his other hand firmly.

"No."

Elsa tried to mask her dread with a face of exasperation as she stood and approached the large, drunken man. Though he towered over her, his posture fell, and irresolution bewildered his courage. She locked eyes with him for an instant, and gripped the fullers of his blade. Olaf blankly stared as his only source of protection was gently pulled from his grasp, and tossed away carelessly onto the floor. It rang against the solid ground like thunder in the crackling silence.

 _"I fucking said..."_

Elsa tried to voice all her desperation in her melancholic expression, but Olaf had turned away from her. He only heard the heartless commands quietly demanded through clenched teeth.

"… _that wasn't a question."_

Elsa couldn't see Olaf's reaction as she turned and made for the door, but she could feel the crippling uncertainty of the guards along with every gaze in the room.

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A/N: This is where I speak to you like i'm an actual person.

Beta'd by Kiera Andaluz Arendelle


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Frozen.**

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Confusion ripped at Anna's understanding until only shreds of ideas remained. She watched as the elegant silhouette of a woman commanded a battalion of soldiers, yet willingly accepted arrest. She spoke not a word as she glided across the room, but each step held the grace and power she would've expected from a general after conquest. She radiated valor with her posture, but even her unsurpassed air of confidence was drowned out by the hard tone of their engagement.

Anna shook herself back into reality after she felt a wry smile forming onto her face, only to find that the woman was staring directly into her with a glare that turned the redhead to stone. Blue eyes burned Anna with a ruthlessly cold embrace forged into them, but something lay just beneath them. Anna felt as if she had seen this all before, as if there were only one familiar thing in the world around her, and it was the cold façade before her. Her attention fell to the minute details in the strange blonde's conduct, and Anna began to follow her outside as she forced herself back into the part she played tonight.

"Sven! Kristoff! Blindfold and bind her hands behind her, then load her into the cart. The rest of you, make sure that these men don't try to follow."

Without a word, they followed their orders. With the woman tied and in the cart, Kristoff approached Anna.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Anna tried to convey all her uncertainty and shock into one single look before replying.

"I... I have no idea. I was pointing to that beast of a man in front of her. She just kind of assumed that I was pointing at her."

"And you're not going to take him in, also?"

"Do you want to take in the drunk giant that could kill a building? A building, Kristoff! Those aren't soldiers in there, you know. They're just some people Hans hired. He didn't want the guards to know about this."

Kristoff gasped in surprise as the gravity of the situation fell on him. His face was livid as he whisper-yelled at the calm woman in front of him.

"You mean that we were supposed to take in somebody that decided it was a good idea to kill an _emperor_ without having _anybody_ with us that actually knew how to fight?"

"I thought that he was lying to me. Why would he send me to take whoever it was into custody? I have no idea how to fight. If he was telling the truth, he would have just sent real guards. Besides, I thought it'd be fun."

"Fun?" Kristoff cried, letting the word linger in the air as if it were an insult. Anna looked into his fervent eyes, and a chuckle escaped her.

"I mean; don't you think this is a little bit thrilling?"

"I think that you should stop inviting me places, Anna."

"I think that you need to stop being so boring. Now, I need you to take Sven and dismiss our fake guards while I take her away. Actually, don't dismiss them. March them to a bar, I'll cover whatever they get."

"What? No! Anna, you're not about to take this woman, who may have literally _killed_ the _emperor_ , to prison alone. Do you want to get viciously murdered in a carriage? Because that's how you get viciously murdered in a carriage!"

"Does she really seem like the murdering type to you? She decided to come with us without a fight. She seemed worried about her men, you could see it in her eyes. Didn't you see her eyes? If I were guilty for something like that, I don't think that I'd shy away from a fight."

"You might if you knew it were a fight you would lose. What if she's just waiting for the right moment? If she thinks that more guards might be on the way, why not just wait until everyone is on the move to cause disorder?"

"Kristoff, did you see her?"

"What? Of course I saw her. What-"

"Did you see her eyes?"

"Why do you keep talking about her eyes? You know what? Never mind, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Could you skip past the rhetorical questions and just say what's on your mind?"

"What? I- never mind. I'm thinking that she knows something important, and I'm gonna find out what that something is."

"You're going to go off and try _espionage_ on her? Anna, who have you ever fooled before? Like, in your life?"

"Do you remember that time that I convinced you to get drunk with the poet from Pannonia? Well-"

"I get it, I remember! But, I don't know, doesn't this feel a bit… off? Don't you think that this is falling into place, I don't know, just a little _too_ nicely?"

"You're right, tonight really has gone strangely. But I've had people watching every inn and port in the city for almost a week now! We need to go through with this. I knew that going in was dangerous, and I need to try to get to the bottom of this. It's all worth it, though. I'd do this a hundred times for the reward."

"And what, exactly, is the reward?"

"Besides getting to play warrior for the night?" Anna felt herself smirk into the darkness.

"Yeah, what is it with you and being a soldier?"

"I don't know; I just think swords are really cool." She continued nonchalantly.

"But Hans would make me a senator."

"What? What do you mean, a senator? Do you mean- do you mean a _senator_ senator?"

"I mean a _senator_ senator! If I can pull this off and get her into prison tonight, I'm going to head house Germanicus!"

"House- House Germanicus! How'd you get Hans to agree to that?"

"I don't know, but I talked him into it! I'm finally going to get away from all those boring scrolls! All that needs to happen is that tonight runs smoothly. Well, not smoothly. Tonight definitely hasn't gone smoothly. So far, nothing is going according to plan. It's going like it's supposed to, though, so the plan doesn't matter. Tonight just has to run."

"Anna, that's great that you're getting the new job, but I think that you have to be alive to accept the position, it's kind of a prerequisite. I'm not going to let you take her in alone, whether she killed anybody or not."

"Please, Kristoff, I need you to trust me on this one. She decided to come with us without a fight, which is something that nobody in their right mind would do if they were actually guilty! She's hiding something, and it's going to be hard finding out what that is if it looks like we assume she's guilty. What if she's just being used? What if she's guarding a secret that could get her killed if we don't help?"

"Fine. I think it's literally the worst idea that you have ever had, but we'll leave. I don't want to be held responsible when she inevitably escapes."

"You think that I'd let her escape?"

"I'd put money on it." He looked at her with a goofy smile. "A lot of money."

"Whatever, Kristoff. I'm gonna go figure this out."

"And those were her last words," He mocked, "Before she was viciously murdered in a carriage."

With that, she departed toward the carriage on the other side of the building. There was no hesitation as she slipped inside and took the reigns, trotting into the calm night.

Silent as a ghost, Sven snuck up beside the man entranced by the moving cart.

"Shit! Would it kill you to just walk like you aren't trying to steal something? You know what? Don't stop, that's gonna come in handy one day. Either way, five silver says that we lose the girl."

"Hundred."

"A hundred silver? That's more than we make in a month! What would you do with that much money?"

Sven simply shrugged, and put out his hand. Kristoff shook it, unsure if he actually hoped that she would get away. The carriage drifted into the horizon, and they began their trek back home. Sven glanced back from the direction they came.

"Kristoff."

"Yeah?"

"You think she'll get hurt?"

"No. She's got a knife on her."

"She does?"

"Yeah, I saw it on her waist."

"Has she ever used it before?"

"Haven't you ever seen her eat?"

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A/N: (1 Denarius (silver) = $15)

Now Beta'd by Kiera Andaluz Arendelle!


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Frozen.**

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Blindfolded, Elsa was pushed into the carriage. Without the use of her arms, there was little she could do besides crash against the opposite wall of the closed cart, and push herself up with her head. She felt her feet being tied together at the ankle with haste. Dread crept up on her senses like a wolf crept up on it's prey, and fear lashed out as the terror consumed her. Elsa's eyes froze over, forcing her to stare blankly into her blindfold. She waited in the desolate silence for what seemed like ages, and attempted to tame the fright that ran rampant through her thoughts.

Slowly, Elsa took a breath and closed her eyes, trying to fight back against the ragged breathing that came naturally. Slowly, she calmed her nerves. Slowly, her thoughts settled.

The nightmares of Capri sang softly to her in the ringing of her ears. The memory forced her to slip back into herself once again, and shut herself out from the world. It was a skill learned only with time, a skill that let her feel the rhythm of the movements when she was forced to dance with death. A soft sniff returned an emotionless composure, and a small shift recovered her regal posture. It was temperance and caution that had saved her every day on that island for ten years, and she would do well to remember it now. She practiced a smile into the dark, and let it fall into a face too neutral to betray her. Elsa forced herself to plan her way out of the situation.

She reasoned that if it came down to a worst-case scenario, she only had to wait until later in the night, as she could easily freeze her way out of any cell she was thrown into. If she wanted to, she always had the option to simply freeze and snap the ropes that bound her right now, allowing her to take control of the carriage. From there, all she had to do was take off anywhere that she needed to go.

But where could she go? How had they found her so easily, and why had they framed her for the emperor's death? Could it have been her guard? What could they have gained from imprisoning her? Was there anybody from outside of Capri that conspired against her, or even knew about her? Elsa reasoned that she must have drank too much wine, because although she had yet to feel it's warming effects, nothing seemed to make sense since she grabbed her first glass.

The carriage door was pulled open and slammed shut almost instantaneously, although she only heard one person enter. It was a light person, judging on how light the footsteps sounded against the wooden floorboard. The passenger sat down directly next to Elsa and snapped the reigns. The horses pulled them forward instantly, and they sped into the path before them.

The black cart marched on ceaselessly into the star-stained night, it's only companions the songs on the soft gusts of wind and watchful goddess of tonight's waning moon. Elsa had kept her head down for the past half-hour, listening for any indication of reinforcements. When she was sure that she could make a clean break, she froze the ropes that bound her, and she snapped them without alerting her captor, a skill she had learned in her years on Capri.

Although she sat directly beside the driver, Elsa tried to keep herself as hidden as possible. She kept her jaw tucked into her chest and kept her breathing quiet. Part of her had still hoped that this was all an elaborate joke, awaiting its punchline. For the past week, she was under the protection of some of the most elite warriors that the world had to offer. She had been curious why she would need the protection in the first place, since nobody would have any good reason to try and hurt her. Apparently, though, some people didn't find it hard to make up a reason. It was only moments before the silence was broken.

"So, why'd you do it?"

Elsa jolted with surprise. It was the calming voice of the girl that had arrested her! How sweet the sound of her beautiful captor! But why was she taking her to prison alone? Did she actually believe that Elsa had killed the emperor? Was she truly on her way to be executed? There was no way that she did, there was no way that she would get into a cart with a savage murderer alone! She had to have known that Elsa had no blood on her hands! Unless, that is, if the girl wanted to be alone with an alleged killer. Elsa hoped that the only person that she would likely talk to before her daring escape wasn't fond of being strangled. It would make for a strange conversation before she bid her farewell. But in those few words, Elsa found herself fighting the smile that could be easily misinterpreted in her current situation.

She knew that she couldn't stop being careful, though. The girl could simply be playing the part of the skeptic, and be laying rope for Elsa to hang herself. She had heard the siren's song before, and though it was beautiful, she had seen it lay waste to even the most brilliant men and women. Her plan was simple: she would rip at the reigns to startle the horses, rip off the blindfold, jump out of the window, then run like hell.

"Hey, come on. I asked you a question. Don't just ignore me like that."

What? Perhaps she was wrong about the songs? The girl was talking to her as if they knew each other, like she wasn't in a carriage with a complete stranger that had been charged with treason! Should she make a joke? She should make a joke to lighten the mood. Wait, she had a plan to follow! She braced herself, and tried to guess the right moment to make her move.

The cart quickly broke to a halt, causing Elsa to smash her head into the dashboard. Blood welled at Elsa's nose as she felt it harden and freeze against her face, and she realized that the temperature in the cart was dropping.

"Ow, fuck! Why did you _do_ that?"

"I-" Her captor's voice began soft, as if to ease an accident, but immediately hardened as she barked back.

"Because I asked you a question! Look, you can talk to me, or we can stay here until you starve. Now: why did-"

The girl briefly hesitated, and returned to her softer tone.

"You're hurt; your nose is bleeding. Here, lean forward. I have a rag right here, just hold still."

"No, no no no no no! it's fine, it's fine, just-"

Elsa's eyes widened as she realized that the girl would feel that her face had almost frozen, and learn her secret once she saw the rag was dry of blood. Acting on instinct, she drove her hands to the face of her captor in an attempt to push her away.

Elsa heard the muffled sounds of panic beneath her frigid hands, and watched helplessly as an elbow swiftly impacted her jaw. The last thing she felt was the hard wooden seat against the back of her head.

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A/N: Studies show that leaving reviews lowers your chances of hearing bad new year's jokes.

Beta'd by Kiera Andaluz Arendelle


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Frozen.** One day I will, though. _One day._

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Elsa's neck ached as the dreamless slumber dissolved against the minuscule light of a single candle on a nightstand. Laying as still as she could, she lifted a hand to comfort the left side of her face, which would undoubtedly suffer from heavy bruising. Carefully, she accounted for each tooth in her mouth before she pulled off the sheet that rested over her prone form, and tried to prop herself up on one elbow.

She closed her eyes against the assault of blood rushing through her forehead, and pursed her lips to silence the pain that erupted from her jaw. The frozen blood streaked across her nose, and her mouth cracked as it was forced into motion. Wasted thoughts ran through her head while trying to make sense of it all, and her face contorted into a sneer as she tried in vain to focus on where she was, how she got here, _anything_. Against the will of the raging headache and broken nose, her eyes crept open. She looked past the single light of the candle to find-

Emerald eyes staring back at her, silently waiting in desperation.

It could have been the reverie of waking, but Elsa could have sworn that the girl was a single, ragged breath away from tears. She pulled her head from her chest, and felt the memories heave back into motion. Suddenly, she became aware that she was resting in a bed. She was resting in a bed, and moving freely! The realization made her gasp, and pain erupted from her stiff neck. Why was she not bound? She had expected that, if anything, she would have been tied down with heavy metal chains and burnt for her sorcery. Her head fell pathetically onto the pillow, searching for any respite from the agony. Her ice kept the swelling at bay, at least.

The sound of shallow breathing and forced sniffles told Elsa that tears were shabbily hidden behind the hard and forced blinking of the redhead. In the silence that pleaded to be filled with involuntary sobs, the girl tried to speak.

"a- are you- are you okay?"

Her voice was soft and irresolute, as if she weren't sure that she wanted to be heard. Elsa closed her eyes and spoke gently.

"Why did you do that?"

"Sorry! I just- you scared me. I acted on instinct. I didn't know what I was doing, I though that I killed you! I've never hit anybody that hard before-"

"I didn't mean the elbow. That was a really good swing, though."

Elsa let out a feeble laugh, and met eyes with the redhead.

"Please don't ever do that again. Now, why are you helping me? Why am I untied in this bed?"

"I knocked you out. I wasn't sure what else to do."

"So you just went into someone's home to try and mend my fractured jawline?"

Elsa's gaze bore deeper into her captor as she sat up, watching as a deep crimson shade swept over the girl's cheeks. Her eyes shot to the floor at the weight of Elsa's judgmental glance, and tried for a timid reply.

"I- I just-"

"This isn't _your_ house, is it?"

"Did- did you say I fractured your jaw?"

"Ok, I guess this _is_ your house. This isn't the end of the world, even though this is the first place that the guards will check once nobody shows up at prison. I've woken up, and I'm sure that more troops will be here before morning to take both of us for treason."

"Well, actually-"

"You're right, you'll be able to lie your way out of this. I probably look terrible; we can say that this was an ad-lib interrogation. That's a fallback, though. What's the escape plan?"

"…Escape plan? We should really focus on your jaw, and you're still covered in blood. I mean, just look at your hair."

"I'll get over it. Promise. Won't matter much if we don't get out of here soon."

"Where would we even go? No matter how far we run, we'll still be in the empire. I'll figure it out later. Now sit back, you really do look terrible."

Anna internally kicked herself. Couldn't she have at least tried to lie about having a plan? She only knew that she needed to learn why somebody had laid the accusation against the blonde, otherwise there would have been no reason to bring her here in the first place! She had planned on bringing her here before she struck her, but that didn't seem to help the embarrassment of being berated by an arrested woman.

"You didn't even have a plan for when I woke up? How do you even expect this to go?"

"I mean, I just, your jaw-."

"Why did you even take me here? Better yet, why did you arrest me? You shouldn't try to help anybody! You have no idea what you're even doing!"

"I _shouldn't_ help you? I couldn't just leave you in a cell while you were unconscious and bleeding! what if you choked?"

"You should have left me to rot. We both would have literally been safer if you left me on the side of the road! Why would you go out of your way to help a total stranger practically marked for death? I know that you think that I didn't kill the emperor, but what if you were _wrong_? What if I had, what would stop me from _killing_ you?"

Anna felt crushed under the sheer weight of the elephant in the room. She had known that she was gambling with her life, but hearing the words from the woman before her seemed to make every decision she made that night feel infinitely burdened with regret. A single tear fell down her cheek, and she forced confidence into her breath, though she only mustered quiet, solemn assertion.

"What if you had died because I took you to prison?"

Elsa's eyes softened as she sat motionless. She watched the tear trail down her captor's face.

"I'm supposed to die tonight, my dear. I've been arrested for treason. Now, this isn't some kind of joke; more guards will be here soon."

"Please don't talk like that; I don't even want to _pretend_ that you're guilty."

"How could you know that?"

"If you had actually killed the emperor, I wouldn't have been told to arrest you. I wouldn't have been told to take you to prison, or anywhere. You would have been killed on the spot. You're not guilty, and I'm going to help you get out of this."

A moment passed in complete silence, and Elsa stared incredulously into Anna's eyes.

"Tie me back up."

"What? No! Why would I do that?"

"Fine. Give me some rope. I'll tie myself up."

"Why do you want to be tied up? Nobody is going to come and ask what we're doing!"

"Why wouldn't they? If you needed twenty people to arrest me, why wouldn't twenty people be waiting for us at prison? They'll be here soon enough, and I'd rather not be killed tonight. You might not take this seriously, but I kind of do."

"There won't be any guards. I ordered them all to get drunk at a bar. I promise you, we're all alone tonight. It's just you and me."

"You… You ordered all of your men to get drunk _immediately_ after arresting someone guilty of treason?"

" _Allegedly_ guilty. I promise, this would be going a _lot_ differently if I thought you had actually done it."

"You actually ordered them to get drunk?"

"I mean, your men didn't look very sober, either."

"Immediately after taking me hostage?"

"'Hostage' is a strong word."

"So is 'treason'. These bed sheets will work. Tie me up, I can't do it alone."

"You still don't believe me!" Anna shouted, motioning to the silent, unmoving door. She dropped her tone to make her point.

"We're completely alone, nobody will interrupt us tonight."

Anna gently took the hand of her prisoner, and saw the same look that she had seen from their first encounter. Blue eyes pierced through the dim lighting directly into Anna's, and in them she lost herself. She saw the eyes of a chained lion desperate for escape. Vivid passion hid itself behind a cold demeanor, and desire radiated in the brilliant gaze of the burning sapphires. Anna got caught in the stupor, and was unable to look away from the girl's intense eyes even as the girl spoke.

"Please stop staring at me like that."

"Anna."

"What?"

"Name- my name. I meant that as in my name. My name is Anna."

"Okay, Anna, why did you tell all of your soldiers to get drunk?"

"I didn't know what to do with them after we finished. and I'm not a soldier. I'm not a guard, and I've never even been trained to fight. I'm an archivist for the senate."

"I... I'm Elsa."

"Elsa, there are a lot of questions that I want to ask you. There is one thing, though, that I need to know first."

Anna retracted her hand to grab a small piece of rope from behind her, and tossed it onto the night table beside the bed. Still frigid from the failed escape, it landed with an unnatural thud. Elsa's heart beat frantically at the sight of it.

 _She knows._

"I know that there's liquid fire and exploding powder, but I've never seen anything that makes _ice_. Where did you get it from?"

Elsa knew that this girl deserved the truth. She may have been the reason that she was arrested, but she was also the reason that she wasn't in a cell right now.

 _Okay, Elsa. She doesn't know. That doesn't matter, though. Just tell her the truth._

"Far north, far past the northern sea, the sap of the tall trees can freeze anything. It leaves no scent or trace, but it gets everywhere as soon as it hits the air."

 _Close enough._

"That's why your blood is frozen?"

"Yeah. I got sap all over my hands."

"Who did you get it from?"

"It was a gift."

"A gift? From who?"

"The emperor?"

"I don't believe you."

"I don't believe me, either."

Anna stared skeptically at Elsa, but decided that there were more pressing matters to deal with. Kristoff would know about those kinds of things, anyways.

"I'll get you another blanket. Your hands are still freezing."

"You're- You're just going to leave me?"

"Yeah, why shouldn't I? It's just the next room."

"You arrested me because I killed the emperor. That feels kind of serious."

"And? You've done a terrible job of seeming dangerous. You shied away from a winning fight, gave no resistance when I had you tied up, and still managed to get knocked out with a single hit. Now I'm helping you clean frozen blood off of your face, and-"

Anna stopped mid-sentence. She tilted her head to one side curiously, and then the other.

"Elsa, turn your head."

"What?"

"Really, turn your head. Both directions."

"Fine, but what are you doing?"

Anna carefully inched forward past her chair as she closed the distance to the girl sitting on the bed. She raised her hands and placed them on her cheeks, looking directly at her nose. Her thumbs hugged the bridge gently as Elsa crossed her eyes. Anna moved her hands to the center of the girl's face as she looked her on cautiously.

"You can't even feel that, can you?"

"Feel what, Anna? Your hands? Is there something on my face?"

"Just hold still. I don't know if this will hurt or not."

"Wait, what-"

 _CRACK!_

Elsa cried against the sudden barrage of pain erupting from her face, and Anna pulled away quickly, as if a single touch might break the girl's nose again. She grinned at the flawless execution that healed the prisoner.

"Seriously, Elsa, your face is freezing."

Elsa's eyes glistened as she cupped her face in her hands to try and ease the pain. Anna took a step towards the door wearing a victorious smile.

"I'm gonna go get those blankets. I'll be right back."

Anna walked out of the room and into her bedroom, which was only a few strides away. She piled blankets onto her shoulder as she thought about the girl.

 _I know her name,_ Anna thought, _but not much else at all. Why would she lie about who gave her that sap? She wants to keep them a secret, but why? It must be someone that we both know. Well, there's really only one person who could gain from being kept secret_.

Anna stopped as she passed the kitchen on her way back to the interrogation/guest room, and a familiar smell overtook her: the smell of chocolate.

 _If this doesn't get her to talk, nothing will. Except wine. That'd probably work a lot better, actually. I should really start keeping that around the house._

She grabbed the pitcher of the dark brown liquid and two glasses, and made her way back into the room.

Anna threw the blankets carelessly onto Elsa, who was still nursing her nose, and poured the drink. Elsa wrapped the blankets around herself in seconds.

"So, how do you know Hans?" Anna asked as she handed the glass to Elsa.

"What is this?"

"It's called chocolate. It's a tea from a weird little bean, along with some sugar. And honey. Vanilla, too. Also some spices, but not many. Mostly sugar."

Elsa looked skeptically at the alien drink. She swirled it in her glass as Anna drank deeply.

"Who did you say I knew?"

"You know, Hans. You have to know him; I wouldn't be here if you didn't. Well, you wouldn't, I mean. I live here. You obviously know something about him, he wants you under his control."

"I don't know who that is."

Anna poured herself another glass.

"Seriously Elsa, you've got to know him. Either you know him or you're close to somebody that knows him. That big dude that jumped in front of you, what was his name? He probably knows Him."

"That was Olaf. He hasn't left the island we came from in over thirty years."

"Over thirty years? That's not right. Not even for vacation?"

"He's not in the kind of work that takes vacations, Anna."

"What exactly _does_ he do? Besides kill buildings, I mean."

"You mean that you don't know?"

"Well, he's clearly a guard. Your guard, I mean. It doesn't matter, Hans hasn't been in Rome for thirty years. He's in his late twenties."

"Wait. You have no idea who Olaf is or what he does?"

"Is he not your guard?"

"Who am I, then?"

"What are you getting at? You're Elsa. You told me that, like, two minutes ago."

"No, what do I _do_?"

"Are you hinting that you get knocked out often?"

"No. Anna, what should you call me in a formal setting?"

"Elsa, I hope?"

"You have absolutely no idea who I am."

"Well… no. That's why I brought you here, I didn't trust what I was told about you. The entire situation felt… it felt _wrong_. I decided to find out for myself instead of putting you in a cell."

"Did you plan on taking me here the entire time?"

"Kind of, yeah. The people that put me up to this kind of made everything sound unrealistic. They're not bad liars, they kind of do it professionally. I set this whole thing up to figure out what was going on through whoever the 'traitor' was directly. Now, here we are. So, what's going on, Elsa?"

"Do you really expect me to know?"

"I thought that you would at least have a _vague idea_ of why someone would want you arrested. So tell me, what do you do?"

"How did you find me so easily without finding out who I am?"

"You're not supposed to answer a question with a question. Really, who are you?"

"Who wanted me found? Who is Hans?"

"Are you just going to keep doing that?"

"Anna, who hired you on this job?"

"You haven't even taken a sip of the chocolate, either."

"This is important, Anna. Who is Hans?"

"This is going nowhere," Anna sighed as she placed her palm on her face. "How about this? We'll make a deal to tell each other everything we know. Like a trade, I guess. You start, and I'll follow."

"Why do I have to start?"

"Because you're my prisoner, and I got you those blankets. Oh, and the chocolate that you haven't even started drinking."

"How do I know that you're going to follow through?"

"How do I know that you're not going to lie? I'm just trying to get this moving, assaulting each other with questions isn't doing any good."

"Okay, fine. I honestly have no idea why I was arrested. Now you."

"Hans is a senator for the republic, he's kind of the face for the Messana family."

"You mean Gaius?"

"Gaius? He's been dead for like five years. Hans is his nephew."

"How did he die?"

"Natural causes."

"Heart attack?"

"Arrow to the chest."

"That's not a natural cause."

"It is for a senator. Happens more often than you'd think, those people are crazy."

"That's… that's not true."

"Where are you from, Elsa? That's one of those things that people from around here know."

Elsa shot a look at Anna that told her that she wasn't about to be answered.

"Okay…" Anna mustered in the awkward silence. "Who is Olaf, then?"

"He's the most able man in this empire. He began guarding me just a week or two ago, but I've known him for years. Nobody knows if he has a family, he doesn't talk much. Not much else to him. Was Hans the one who hired you?"

"You've known him for years and you don't even know if he has a family?"

"We've known each other. That doesn't mean we're close. Why did Hans hire you?"

Anna bit her lip and looked to the floor. She looked back up to Elsa with fear in her eyes.

"I don't know. I was only told that you committed high treason. You can't tell anybody that it was Hans, though."

"Why would I?"

"I don't know. Seriously though, I don't know what Hans wants from you. You're going to have to find out through him directly. Only him. Don't tell anybody else. Nothing good will happen if anybody else finds out."

"Who is 'anybody?'"

"Seriously, Elsa. _Nobody_. Promise me that you won't say a word."

"Do you trust everyone this much on the first day that you meet them?"

"Not usually. Now _promise_ me."

"Fine. I won't tell a soul."

"I really mean it, Elsa. Now, why are you in Rome?"

"But what would happen if I did let the word out?"

"Elsa, really. When I say tell nobody, I mean _nobody_ can know. Don't even play with the idea. What are you doing with a room full of guards in Rome?"

Elsa thought carefully for a moment.

"I'm… I'm here to make sure that this place doesn't fall into a tyranny."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm-"

"Oh, shit. Stop. Stop talking right now. Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"What? Anna, are you alright-"

"I know who you are!"

"You... You do?"

"You're an assassin! You didn't kill the last emperor; you're going to be hired to murder the next one!"

"Anna, that's- that's ridiculous."

"You stuttered! Why would you stutter if it wasn't true?!"

"Come on, that's a terrible point. I wasn't hired to kill anybody."

"Then why are you in Rome? What are you even doing here? Hans is going to hire you for this job, isn't he? He's always been so hell-bent on making Rome a republic again, I knew he'd kill to do it! Come on, you're going to 'make sure that this place won't become a tyranny?' How am I supposed to take that in a way that doesn't involve you killing someone important?!"

"Seriously, you still think I know Hans? I've never even heard of him until tonight! I'm not here to kill anybody!"

"Stop lying to me! Just give me a straight answer!"

"I don't know how to be more clear than that! I have never met Hans in my life and I don't kill people!"

"Is that why you didn't want your men to fight? You wanted them prime for battle, didn't you!?"  
"You had me outnumbered in a small room!"

"Why are you in Rome in the first place? What are you even doing here, Elsa? Is that even your real name?"

"Why would I lie about my name?!"

"I don't know, you tell me! You can't even come up with a good lie as to why you're in this god forsaken town!"

"If it makes you feel any better, it's been less than twelve hours and I already want to go back to my god forsaken home in the middle of the ocean! Now stop freaking out over nothing, I'm not going to kill anybody!"

"Fine." Anna said as she pursed her lips. She spoke flatly. "Where did you get the sap from?"

"I- I got it from the emperor."

"You got it from someone who would like to be kept secret. At least we're getting somewhere now. You're going to use it to kill somebody important, or at least make it so that they can't do their job."

Anna gave Elsa a chance to reply, but she said nothing.

"Hans wanted you in prison, but you tried to escape. That means that you need to be kept alive instead of killed. Is it because of your vendor?"

Elsa gave nothing away with her blank expression.

"You're clearly important to him, Elsa. Even if you were telling the truth and you weren't an assassin, you're obviously here for something important. You have personal bodyguards and something that can freeze anything in your pocket. You don't exactly strike me as a tourist."

Elsa stayed silent.

"Oh, are you just going to give up on the conversation, then? Who are you, Elsa?"

The blonde stared into Anna's eyes.

"My name is Elsa. I killed emperor Tiberius. That's all you need to know, archivist. Here's what's going to happen: I'm going to walk out those doors, and you're not going to do a damn thing. You seem nice, Anna, and people like you don't do well in my line of work."

"You're just going to shut me out of this, then? You think I'm not _capable_ of handling this?"

"I don't give a damn what you're capable of."

Anna couldn't see past the building rage as the disgust read plainly across her face.

"Thank you for the drink, Anna. It's time for me to go."

"Don't try to take the high road here like I'm some... some damsel in distress! Don't pretend like you thought up some miraculous plan you need to get back to, you haven't even been conscious! You've got nothing right now!"

Anna was practically shouting, but lowered her voice to ensure that her message was clear.

"You would have _died_ if I had sent you to that prison, but I brought you here and kept you safe. I'm the reason that you're not dead! Tell me why I was told to arrest you. Right now."

"Please, Anna, think about this. This isn't some kind of game! I don't know what to tell you, you know more about this than I do!" Elsa rose from the bed as the tension built.

"Stop. Sit down and answer the question." Anna broke into a vicious snarl. _"I fucking said to sit down!"_

Anna's ears rang as silence fell between them. The world seemed to stop. Anna leapt out of her chair and shoved Elsa down onto the bed, making Anna tower over the bloody girl fraught with bruises. A blade the size of Anna's forearm was ripped from the pristine sheath on her belt. The untarnished metal glistened against the frail light of the nearby candle, and Elsa shrunk into herself just enough for Anna to be told that she was feared.

Anna gripped the blade until her knuckles went white and held it in front of her. The anger burnt like a flame fueled by adrenaline, but guilt and fear filled her lungs like a thick oil. There was only one way out of her situation that would leave her above ground, and she knew it. She grasped the blade with the other hand, ready to strike at any moment. Ready to kill.

"Why, Elsa," she muttered as a tear streaked down her face. "Of course this is a game."

A nostalgic fear ripped at Elsa's ability to think, and adrenaline eased the pain that ran rampant through her body. The redhead spat her demands as she stared the blonde down with a frantic expression.

"You're going to tell me everything you know. You're going to tell me everything, or-"

"Or what? You'll _kill_ me?"

"Don't try me, Elsa. You don't know me."

"Let's consider this a learning experience, then."

Fear bled into Elsa's uncertainty, and she desperately hoped that she had gauged the redhead correctly. The familiar burning of dread where her spine met her skull reminded her that she walked herself onto a tightrope with this poor girl, but Elsa had always told herself that she would die before she was put into a corner like an animal. She masked every feeling behind a valiant smirk and a lie she had only thought out halfway. Frozen eyes glared into what may be her last encounter.

"Cut me."

"What- What did you just say?"

I said _cut me,_ darling. I fucking _dare_ you to try."

"What? Who _are_ you?"

"I'm not some fucking thief that your _master_ wanted dead, I'm the fucking head of the praetorian guard, the lead protector of the emperor! I'm a trained killer. You're an archivist with a bread knife. Anna, darling, I didn't kill the emperor. I'm the woman who's going to crown the next one. I'm the woman who's going to put you in the ground if you don't make the first move."

"You- You can't- I-"

"Swing first, Anna. Cut me down right now, or I'll fucking kill you."

First there was silence. The women stared into each other motionlessly, waiting for the tension in the air to turn to action. Second was the fingers. Anna's hand began trembling incessantly, so much so that she lost control of the blade. It resounded against the floor like a crashing cymbal, making her jump at the noise. She began mumbling under her breath as her leg began violently shivering, inhibiting any move that she might have otherwise made. Desolation consumed her every action, and Anna was shaken to the fear. She stared blankly into nothing as she fell numbly back into her chair.

 _Well,_ Elsa thought as her adrenaline high wore off, _I guess that worked._

Silence filled the room as Elsa stood in front of the girl.

"…Hey, uh, Anna?"

No response.

"I'm- I'm gonna go. Thanks for the blankets, I guess." She started walking out the door, but stopped halfway there.

"Oh, and... I… I need a horse. I'll pay you back. Okay?"

Silence.

"Anna? Really, are you alright?"

Nothing.

"Okay."

Elsa stepped out into the night.

* * *

 _A/N: Okay, this update is a little bit late. but just by a month or so. I had a problem with school and work that needed to be fixed, and this chapter didn't come out so well the first time around. but everything should be alright now. I'm going to try for consistent updates. I'm going to push myself for two updates a month. I'd love it if you guys could give some criticism on this, it would really help me out with the upcoming chapters._

 _Chocolate wasn't introduced into Europe until the 16th century. The first chocolate bar was made in 1847, all chocolate before that was a liquid._

 _The word Elsa was looking for was Plutocracy, not Tyranny._

 _The praetorian guard actually had 6000 - 9000 troops at the time, and were used to keep the city of Rome safe. That's not true in this bastardized version of Rome._

 _Elsa suffers from a concussion that will never be properly treated._

 _The bruises will last for weeks, and her nose will never fully heal._

 _At this point, you could replace 'Tiberius' with 'Ned Stark.' It began as a Caligula!Elsa fic, but that idea got butchered to the point that it doesn't matter anymore. Caligula was pretty boring up until Drusilla (Who I replaced with Anna) died, anyways. Don't expect me to follow history, this story already has more roots from other stories than with Rome._

 _The words you just finished looking at in rapid succession were edited by the wonderful Kiera Andaluz Arendelle._


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